Yesterday marked the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy. Along with the military commemorations, there was a very special one created in yarn, by hundreds of knitters & crocheters around the globe - The Longest Yarn.

Tansy Forster, who has lived in Normandy for over 20 years, was inspired by the Post Box toppers she saw when she traveled to visit Arundel, in southern England. She thought she would have a go at something similar for her garden gate to commemorate this special anniversary. That idea soon morphed to create an 80 metre long yarn masterpiece showcasing scenes from the build up to and of the landings themselves as well as the days immediately after.

Tansy, with the help of Facebook, soon enlisted the help of hundreds of makers from around the world to create metre long panels, each with a scene from that time.  Not only that, Tansy has written a book about the project too. The Longest Yarn has featured on TV shows and news programmes around the world, and is set for a tour around the UK, then onto the United States before returning to Carentan in Normandy, where it will remain on permanent display.

In this episode, we hear from Tansy Forster and from Diane McCoombs and Gill >>> from the North West of England, who contributed one of the metre-long panels to the Longest Yarn.

You can find out all about The Longest Yarn on their website.

For full show notes for this episode, please visit the Making Stitches website.

To join the mailing list for the Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link.

The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops .

The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.

You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches  Podcast is supported by the Making Stitches Shop which offers Making Stitches Podcast merchandise for sale as well as Up the Garden Path crochet patterns created by me & illustrated by Emma Jackson.

Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay Weston

Hello, I’m thrilled to be back with another series of episodes of Making Stitches Podcast. This time I’m doing something a bit different, instead of launching the new series with a new interview, I’ve taken a dive into the archives.

Since I last spoke to you, Making Stitches celebrated its 4th birthday (which I think is pretty decent in podcasting) so I thought I’d indulge in a look back at some of the voices which have featured up until this point.

One theme which has been consistent throughout, is the very real benefit that being creative can have on your state of mind. It can be a light relief at a time of high stress, a positive outlet during anxiety and depression, a focus in the midst of paralysing grief.

Quite a few of my guests (not all included here) have spoken about how their craft has helped them during hard times. Speaking from experience, my creativity, be that through crochet, sewing or even making this podcast has really helped me over the years. I am a real advocate for being creative as a result.

Join me as I share chats from the Making Stitches archive:

• Lisa & Lynda-Rose from The Crochet Sanctuary about the Pandemonium blanket crochet-along during Covid https://www.crochetsanctuary.co.uk
• Patchwork quilter Emma Jones from the Vintage Sewing Box on the importance of making for mental health https://www.vintagesewingbox.co.uk
• Textile artist Matthew Downham on finding stitches to ease his anxiety. https://matthewdownham.wixsite.com/mysite
• Former BBC Brussels correspondent, Mary Jane Baxter on leaving a high pressure career for a creative life on the road. https://unbound.com/books/sew-on-the-go
• Peace & anti terrorism campaigner Figen Murray OBE on how knitting has helped her grieve the loss of her son, Martyn in the Manchester Arena bomb attack. https://www.figenmurray.co.uk
• Dr Mia Webb, clinical psychologist, knitter and podcaster on the Why I Knit podcast on the benefits of knitting for mental health. https://www.therapeuticknitting.org

Ten years ago, Heather Gibbs was looking for an outlet for her crochet creativity and set up her blog; Keep Calm and Crochet On UK. Little did she know that her blog would be going from strength to strength a whole decade later, but that she would also end up working with a selection of different crochet magazines and yarn companies as well.

In this latest episode of Making Stitches Podcast, I chatted to Heather about how the blog came about in the  first place,  how her design career first got off the ground and her hopes for the next ten years to come in her crochet adventure.

You can find Heather here on her website; Keep Calm and Crochet On UK.

To join the mailing list for the Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link.

For full show notes for this episode, please visit the Making Stitches website.
The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops .

The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.

You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches  Podcast is supported by the Making Stitches Shop which offers Making Stitches Podcast merchandise for sale as well as Up the Garden Path crochet patterns created by me & illustrated by Emma Jackson.

Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay Weston.

Hello and welcome to Making Stitches Podcast!

My guest for this episode is the historian and writer, Barbara Burman, whose latest book is 'The Point of the Needle - Why Sewing Matters'. Barbara, a retired academic from the University of Southampton and the University of the Arts, spent more than 40 years teaching and researching the history of dress and textiles.

In her latest book, Barbara takes an in-depth look at the social and cultural significance of sewing, drawing on contemporary voices as well as historical research. In it, Barbara asks what people are sewing, why they are motivated to sew and why people choose to mend?

This was a fascinating chat, which covered lots of different aspects of Barbara's work - I hope you enjoy l listening to it!

You can find a link to 'The Point of the Needle - Why Sewing Matters' here.

To join the mailing list for the Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link.

For full show notes for this episode, please visit the Making Stitches website.
The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops .

The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.

You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches  Podcast is supported by the Making Stitches Shop which offers Making Stitches Podcast merchandise for sale as well as Up the Garden Path crochet patterns created by me & illustrated by Emma Jackson.

Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay Weston.

Welcome to the first episode of Making Stitches in 2024! Sorry for the longer than anticipated break.  This is the first of the final three episodes in series seven. 

This time, I’m sharing a chat I had late last year with Cathy Wright from Lazy Kate Textiles. Cathy’s a spinner and weaver sharing her love of creativity  by teaching these heritage crafts to anyone who wants to learn.

Based in Liverpool, Cathy sells the equipment needed to take up the crafts and runs workshops to show students how to progress their technique. Cathy’s enthusiasm for her craft is clear and she’s dedicated to sharing her expertise.

In addition to teaching, Cathy also runs a monthly meeting for anyone interested in yarn crafts to come together and build a community. TheWoollers runs on the first Saturday of each month in Northern Lights, Caine Brewery Village, 5 Mann Street, Liverpool L8 5AF

You can find out more about Cathy and her work on her website.

To join the mailing list for the Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link.

For full show notes for this episode, please visit the Making Stitches website. The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops .

The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.

You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches  Podcast is supported by the Making Stitches Shop which offers Making Stitches Podcast merchandise for sale as well as Up the Garden Path crochet patterns created by me & illustrated by Emma Jackson.

Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay Weston.

Hello there and welcome to the Making Stitches Podcast 2023 Christmas Special. Join me for a selection box of treats looking back at the past 12 months in my podcast world.

You can hear from guests including Dr Mia Hobbs from the 'Why I Knit' Podcast on the mental health benefits of being creative, Dr Fran Darlington-Pollock from the Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity about their yarny Christmas appeal this year and some more of my guests from the podcast this year. Also joining me are some of the lovely people I met at this year's Great Northern Textile Show who will be sharing what's on their Christmas wish list.

Thank you to all of my guests who joined me on this episode, and throughout the year. Thank you to you too for listening! I hope you have a lovely Christmas and that 2024 is kind to you.

My guests in this episode include:

• Catherine Crochets
• Dr Mia Hobbs from Why I Knit Podcast
• Dr Fran Darlington Pollock from the Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity
• Sara from Black Sheep Wools
• Jen Rich - @stitchcraftandcook on Instagram
• Julie from Tilly Flop Designs
• Lisa Wilde from Sunnyside Fabrics UK
• Jane Smith - Japanese Embroidery artist
• Helen from Yarn Addicts Manchester
• Cheryl & Joanne from the North Cheshire Guild of Spinners, Weavers & Dyers
• Nikki from Allium Threads
• Sheila Haldane - textile artist
• Wendy Roby - textile artist
• Debbie from Why Knot Macrame

And if  you would like to support the Black Sheep Wools 'Deck the Halls' charity campaign in support of the Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity, you can find all the details here.

To join the mailing list for the Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link.

For full show notes for this episode, please visit the Making Stitches website. The theme music is Winter Trip by Audioflame from Melody Loops other music used in this episode is Happy Sunshine by Roman Cano, also from Melody Loops.

The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.

You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches  Podcast is supported by the Making Stitches Shop which offers Making Stitches Podcast merchandise for sale as well as Up the Garden Path crochet patterns created by me & illustrated by Emma Jackson.

Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay Weston.

Jane Czaja has been trying to spread the love of crochet for decades, from teaching beginners groups back in the 1980s to running a crochet and chat group in her local library now! Jane has always been a maker, and since her retirement from computer programming and lecturing students about it, she has turned her attention to crochet full time.

You can find Jane's name in the credits of crochet books, through her work as technical editor, she also does tech editing work for Inside Crochet and Disney Crochet Magazine. Jane is one of those amazing people who can spot a needle in a haystack - a pattern error!

I think you'll find Jane to be evangelical about the craft of crochet, and if you had her as your teacher, I think that love of the craft would be contagious!

You can find Jane's website here, and her crochet and chat group meets at Kingston Library on 2nd Saturday of the month between 10:30 and 12pm.

You can also see Jane on justhands-ontv

To join the mailing list for the Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link.

For full show notes for this episode, please visit the Making Stitches website. The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops .

The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.

You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches  Podcast is supported by the Making Stitches Shop which offers Making Stitches Podcast merchandise for sale as well as Up the Garden Path crochet patterns created by me & illustrated by Emma Jackson.

Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay Weston.

This time on Making Stitches Podcast, I want to share a great initiative which is happening in my home city of Manchester. Homelessness is a problem all year round in towns and cities across the world, not just here in the UK and it's a complex problem to solve.

Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity was set up after our Mayor, Andy Burnham was elected. He chose to donate a percentage of his monthly wage to combatting rough sleeping across the city, and it was thanks to that the Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity was born. The charity doesn't just offer somewhere for people to stay, it also helps in other ways with food, clothing and help to get people off the streets

Each year, the charity looks at new ways to raise funds to support it's 'A Bed Every Night' campaign, and in the run up to Christmas there's a concerted push to bring in more funding. It costs £30 to pay for one person to have somewhere safe to sleep for the night and to receive the wrap around care on offer.

This year, Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity is calling on knitters and crocheters to help them in partnership with Black Sheep Wools. They have a range of knitting and crochet patterns for sale as well as yarn kits to make decorations. The proceeds from the sale of the patterns will go to the charity as well as 10% from the sale of every yarn pack and, if you would prefer to make a £30 donation through the Black Sheep Wools website, you will be gifted all the patterns for free, and that entire £30 will go to fund a bed for the night.

I spoke to Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity Chief Executive, Fran Darlington-Pollock, who told me why she was calling on knitters and crocheters to help them this year.

You can find out more about the work of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity here. If you would like to join the ‘Deck the Halls’ campaign and buy patterns of yarn packs, you get them from Black Sheep Wools.

#DeckTheHalls23 #WeDontWalkOnBy #GMMayorsCharity

To join the mailing list for the new Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link.

For full show notes for this episode, please visit the Making Stitches website. The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops .

The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.

You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches  Podcast is supported by the Making Stitches Shop which offers Making Stitches Podcast merchandise for sale as well as Up the Garden Path crochet patterns created by me & illustrated by Emma Jackson.

Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay Weston.

Hello and welcome to this latest episode of Making Stitches Podcast where I'm taking you out on the road with me to the second Great Northern Textile Show which happened a couple of weeks ago in Manchester.

You'll hear from a selection of traders who brought their products to sell to visitors, several crafts guilds and three hugely talented textile artists who were invited to exhibit their work. In this episode I also spoke to the really inspiring Taslima from CDM UK Manchester which works with women and children (some of whom have suffered abuse) teaching them textile design and craft skills - if you think that listening to this section of the episode may upset you or someone you are listening with, you can skip the section between the  33.5 minute mark and 43.5 minute mark.

Thank you to everyone who spoke to me for this episode including Domino Panton-Oakley from the Great Northern Textile Show, Debbie Davies from Why Knot Macrame?, Janet Markwell from The Corner Patch, Niki from Allium Threads, Julie from TillyFlop Designs, Lisa Wilde from Sunnyside Fabrics, Cathy Unwin from The Quilter's Guild, Cheryl & Joanne from The North Cheshire Guild of Spinners, Weavers & Dyers, Helen from Yarn Addicts of Manchester. Also, textile artists Wendy Roby, Jane Smith & Sheila Haldane, as well as Taslima from CDM UK Manchester.


To join the mailing list for the new Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link.

For full show notes for this episode, please visit the Making Stitches website. The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops other music used in this episode is Happy Sunshine by Roman Cano, also available from Melody Loops.

The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.

You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs by buying me a coffee  through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches  Podcast is supported by the Making Stitches Shop which offers Making Stitches Podcast merchandise for sale as well as Up the Garden Path crochet patterns created by me & illustrated by Emma Jackson. The latest design is 'Prunella the Pumpkin' an amigurumi pumpkin doll. 

Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay Weston.

Thank you for listening!

Back in July, Black Sheep Wools, the largest independent yarn shop in the UK celebrated its 40th birthday. Friends of Black Sheep Wools were invited to join in with a two-day-long birthday party at the Craft Barn in Culcheth, Warrington. I went along to join the festivities and this episode shares a little bit of what went on.

You can find the Black Sheep Wools website here, they are also on Instagram and Facebook.

This weekend, the Great Northern Textile Show is back at Urmston in Manchester for a second year. The show, which features traders, artists, exhibitors and crafts guilds returns, but this time with Domino Panton-Oakley at the helm. I went to meet Domino ahead of the big event to see how preparations were going.

For for information about the Great Northern Textile Show 2023 and to buy tickets, please check out the website.

Last year, I spoke to Tracy Fox, creator of the Great Northern Textile Show and went along to the first ever Great Northern Textile Show.


To join the mailing list for the new Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link.

For full show notes for this episode, please visit the Making Stitches website. The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops other music used in this episode is Happy Sunshine by Roman Cano, also available from Melody Loops.

The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.

You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches  Podcast is supported by the Making Stitches Shop which offers Making Stitches Podcast merchandise for sale as well as Up the Garden Path crochet patterns created by me & illustrated by Emma Jackson.

Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay Weston.